Mohammed Daoud Khan (July 18, 1909 - April 28, 1978) was a politician in Afghanistan who overthrew the monarchy of Zahir Shah and became the first President of Afghanistan from 1973 until his assassination in 1978 as a result of a revolution led by the Marxist People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA). Khan was known for his progressive policies, especially in relation to the rights of women, for initiating two five-year modernization plans, and for being a Pashtun nationalist